One-way clutches are used in stators to rotationally disengage the blades of the stator from the shaft of the stator during a free-wheel mode and to rotationally lock the blades and the stator shaft during a locked mode. During the transition from the free-wheel mode to the locked mode, the stator changes from spinning (free-wheeling) to carrying torque. To lock the clutch, various components of the clutch are brought into contact. The impact associated with the contact can generate undesirable noise and vibration. The magnitude of the impact and hence the magnitude of the noise and vibration is related to the lash associated with the movement of the components during the transition. It is known to include counteracting components within the clutch to minimize the lash. These components entail a high degree of precision to function properly. Unfortunately, this degree of precision can be much greater than or even incompatible with the precision associated with the remaining components in the clutch. For example, stamped components in a clutch can greatly reduce the cost and complexity of the clutch. However, it may be difficult or even impossible to incorporate the counteracting components noted above using stamped components.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a means of reducing noise and vibration in a one-way stator clutch while simultaneously enabling the use of more cost-effective processes, configurations, and components.